Exploring Italian Wine One Grape at a Time
An evening walk in 2011 that changed everything! One day in late 2011, I was walking through the centre of Florence with my friend Giovanna when we saw a flyer for a sommelier course organised by Fisar, starting soon thereafter. It was to be held at a nearby wine bar. So, I told Giovanna, “Let’s … Read more
The signature wine event of Fisar – Vino è – has now reached its third edition. Just as the other years, there is a focus on smaller and mid-sized wineries from Trentino to Sicily. The idea has from the beginning been to concentrate mainly on wineries that can tell a different story, more focused on culture, … Read more
4 Days to Vino è designed by Fisar The so-called ‘final countdown‘ to the second edition of Vino è has begun. On Sunday, November 5th, it opens its doors at Stazione Leopolda in Florence and lasts until Monday, November 6. Fisar is one of the main Italian Sommelier Associations and they implemented their idea last year to organize … Read more
Last Saturday, on October 14th, I went to discover wines at the Slow Wine Event in Montecatini Terme in Tuscany. This is the event where they present the yearly Slow Wine Guide. This wine event is an amazing opportunity to taste “slow wines” from all over Italy. Furthermore, while you are sipping and talking to wine … Read more
The event Vino é by Fisar (Federazione Italiana Sommelier Albergatori e Ristoratori) took place a month ago by now at the Stazione Leopolda in the center of Florence. This was the first edition of Vino è and it was organized in association with the annual congress of Fisar. The idea was to innovate and open … Read more
Last week Lorenzo, the president of Fisar Firenze asked me if I wanted to come along with another two fellow sommeliers to visit the winery Val delle Corti in Radda in Chianti. Of course, I said yes, even though I then realized I knew next to nothing about the winery…yet. So I asked Lorenzo, who … Read more
Today at the yearly Sommelier Challenge of Fisar Firenze our team, The Winetrotters, won and took home the ‘gold medal‘ so to say. So, sorry if the first part of this post will talk a lot about ‘our team’ and our victory in this wine competition which is mostly for fun and an excuse to … Read more
Coming back to the words in Whitney Houston’s hit song So Emotional from the 1980’s, they are really perfect to describe the feelings during this last weekend at the Fisar Annual Congress in Bologna. The Competition Friday afternoon saw the final in the competition to nominate the Fisar Trofeo Rastal Best Sommelier of the Year. … Read more
When reality starts getting topsy-turvy, places like Malmö, in Sweden, are now having 6 weeks of 35 degrees heat waves while the Mediterranean countries have experienced the coldest summer since many years, but some positive things seem to come out of it all. Apart from the fact that Scandinavians get a chance to even more crawl … Read more
